The Alternative Angler

GrahamM

GrahamM

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Is Kevin right? Is the recording of Personal Best fish unfair and would be better if we recorded venue records instead?

Or how about County records?

I know one thing for sure, those who follow the circuit now will still do so one way or the other.

It would be easy to say that we don't need any kind of records at all, but I don't agree with that. If we don't have any yardsticks then we don't know how well we're doing. And like it or not, most anglers get their kicks out of achieving targets - as well as smelling the flowers.
 
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john conway

Guest
Human nature being what it is we will always want to bench mark ourselves against other anglers. However, some of use will not be misguided by a one off achievement or being a member of a privaliged syndicate. It takes more than one achievement to make a good angler. Even "Venue Best" are open to question i.e. the young lad who’s never been fishing before pulls out the bigest fish on his first trip ?
 
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Gerry Castles

Guest
I think we are more inclined to bench mark ourselves against our own previous catches and personal best fish will always be more important....unless you happen to be Bob Nudd and beating the other guy is more important.
 
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Stuart Johnson

Guest
For me PBs are a bench mark which I will try and better, but I do take into account the venue I fish. I also give myself targets that may or may not be better than my PB. each year. This then gives me a yard stick as to weather I am sticking to a loose plan I have set my self. As to regards records I have always beleaved that a national record is required so that we as anglers can see what is going on out there as a whole. But I firmly beleave that county records would be better as there is a hell of a lot of differnce in waters within the UK. What would be the better capture a 19lb barbel from the ouse or a 15lb barbel from say the Dove? Catching a record fish does not mean you are a better angler, does it? However, after saying all that, catching fish of all sizes is enjoyment in it self, a specimen is the icing on the cake.
 
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Ron Clay

Guest
As I grew up under the wing of **** walker, I tend to go along with his belief that the biggest fish are not necessarily the best fish.

I have caught enough big fish in my life to satisfy a thousand anglers. These days I tend to look for quality, not quantity in a fish. A lot of anglers are often disappointed with the fish they catch because they do not meet certain false yard sticks (eg 20 lb pike or 30 lb carp) They shouldn't be.

A true specimen fish should of course be adult yet be in the very best condition. Some of the biggest fish I have ever caught have been fat, ugly and have come in like sacks of potatoes.

Not what I would call a personal best.
 
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Chris Bishop

Guest
It's down to the individual and while I no longer care that much what I catch day-to-day, there's still a very special feeling for me when the scales go past the 20lbs mark - if only because I know how many years it took to catch my first one; which will probably always be my PB, even though I've caught bigger ones since.

County records are difficult. Look at Gwent - the biggest pike caught there is around 46lbs, but there's only one water there capable of doing fish that size and what if you can't get on it..?

What about the bream in Norfolk. One pit has upped the record two or three times in the last 12 months, there are few others which produce doubles with any consistency.

You either fish against yourself, attacking your own targets whether it's enjoy yourself more this season, fish new waters or catch a 5lb chub; or fish against other people's yardstick.
 
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Ron Clay

Guest
You were very pleased with that 93/4lb zander I photographed for you. I'm pleased that you were
 
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Chris Bishop

Guest
I'd have been more pleased if it had done another 5oz...!

I'll never forget that day. Never been as wet in my life.
 
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Ron Clay

Guest
I will never forget that day either. We'll have another session in that spot come October :eek:)
 
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Phil Hatton

Guest
Just a few thoughts from a relative 'noddy'. I fish waters around Manchester and Cheshire,if I had an 8lb bream from the Bridgie' would it be a better fish than an 8 from one of the meres or not?
I recently started carp fishing and so far my p.b. is 13/12.Since catching it I have learnt that the water it came from is generally regarded as 'easy'.Now I've moved on to another venue where so far I've blanked.This new water is said to be harder so if I 'do a double' from here will it be a better fish.To be honest I would probably regard it as a new p.b. because I would have needed to fish harder for it.Overall I think you need to set you own standards and leave the numbers game to the 'circus clowns'.
 
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Ron Clay

Guest
Fish for your own pleasure is what I say. You will find over the years that an 8 lb bream is a good fish on any water and well worth catching.

One of the mst important things about fishing is to have fun. I meet many anglers who seem to be desperate to catch outsize fish. They take it much too seriously. If they could relax a little, they might suddenly start catching those fish.
 
GrahamM

GrahamM

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Ron's right. You can set whatever targets you like, it doesn't matter providing those targets don't take over and become the only reason you go fishing. If they do you won't enjoy it half as much as you should.

The lads on the 'circuit' are kidding themselves as well as the inexperienced.
 
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DAVE COOPER

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The fish I enjoy most are those where my immediate reaction is "Bloody hell, that's a good 'un. I didn't know they were that big in here!"

It's all very well catching fish where you know that there is good chance of one that size, but to catch something big, or just unusual, that is unexpected is a real buzz.
 
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Wag

Guest
Someone once asked **** Walker (I think) how to catch big fish. He answered "Fish a lot, somewhere with big fish in". Seems fair enough.
It saddens me that anglers nowadays seem obsessed with size, and you hear disappointment in their voices when they say "Oh it's only a ten/twenty/thirty" whatever. Jesus, sometimes I'm overjoyed with a 3oz roach. The world's gone mad!
 
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Ron Clay

Guest
Another aspect to this are those characters who talk glibly about catching loads of big fish. I met a guy in a tackle shop the other day who told me he gets doubles, and lots of them, from the Trent - on every visit.

I caught a nice bream from the Old Course of the Nene the other day. It fought extremely well for a bream. much harder than a tench of the same weight. The club bailiff came along and watched as I photographed it.

That evening in the pub the tail went round that an old geezer on the sixpenny length of the Nene had caught a 10 lb bream!!

It weighed 6lb 6oz.
 
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Andy Nellist

Guest
The "merit" of your catch is something that only you can judge. The most important thing in my book is that you enjoy your fishing and comparing your catches against venue records often adds to that enjoyment.
 
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Brian Lewis

Guest
I'm with Ron and Graham on this one.

However else we choose to describe ourselves, be it match angler, carp angler etc we're all so called pleasure anglers, as we do it for pleasure.

It's all about what we get out of it and that will always differ from person to person.
 
K

Kevin Perkins

Guest
Well
I hoped this one might stir things up a little!

I would agree with all the writers that your PB's are for you alone to savour. Indeed, you may not regard the heaviest fish of one species you have caught as your 'best' catch.

Comparisons with other angler's catches are really irrelevant unless they are from the same venue.

But by the same token, who wouldn't want to be recognised for catching the largest fish available to them, be they someone who was fishing for the very first time, or a seasoned campaigner
 
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Wag

Guest
Kevin, I wouldn't. I don't fish for others approval, just my own enjoyment. I honestly couldn't give a stuff about records. I hardly ever weigh my catch, but do take the odd photo, usually to help remember a particularly enjoyable session. I think my best fish ever was a 2.5 lb perch, hardly a monster, but it was fin perfect and bristling with arrogance, and I caught it by design, so it remains memorable, even after 25 years.
If the size of fish and recognition by others is what you want though, good luck to you, it's just not for me.
 
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